One of the most outstanding Tasmanian junior footballers of his generation, Ian Callinan had played in a senior premiership with Clarence and won a slew of Tassie Mariners/TAC Cup awards before he turned 20, however he was overlooked in the AFL draft as many clubs believed his diminutive 172cm stature would impede him at the highest level. A foundation player with the Tasmanian Devils in 2001, Callinan played a major role in the club’s finals campaigns from 2003-05 as a highly damaging small forward, and in the latter year he became the first Tasmanian since 1939 to take out the J. J. Liston Trophy as VFL Best and Fairest.

After becoming the first Devil to play 100 games in 2006, Callinan set his sights on greener pastures, joining SANFL powerhouse Central District in 2007. The Bulldogs had played in the past seven SANFL grand finals, winning five, and proceeded to win another four in a row in the years after Callinan’s arrival. Callinan himself was a key figure in these years, winning two club Best and Fairests and being named Best-on-Ground in their 2010 triumph over Norwood.

Despite being invited to train with as many as four AFL clubs since his junior days Callinan had never been drafted by any of them, however his form at Centrals finally saw him given an opportunity, with the Adelaide Crows picking up the 28-year-old with the 64th Pick in the 2010 Rookie Draft. An injury ravaged 2011 prevented him from playing more than a handful of games, however his 2012 was sensational, playing 23 games and booting 39 goals to help his side to a preliminary final. Despite his great form, Callinan managed only six games in 2013 as the Crows decided to inject more youth into the side, and he was delisted at season’s end.

In a sign of just how respected and valued he was around the team, however, Callinan was asked to serve as both captain and playing assistant coach of the newly formed Adelaide reserves team, which would be entering the SANFL in 2014. Callinan agreed, and in his two seasons in that role he was the side’s stand-out performer, winning the Best and Fairest in both seasons and representing the SANFL in representative matches against the VFL and WAFL. After nine years in South Australia, Callinan returned to Tasmania and to Clarence in 2016, and even at the age of 33 he is still one of the competition’s star performers, playing in the TSL’s representative match against the WAFL in Perth.